ARTICLE 4. Local Government Buildings [8878.90. - 8878.107.]

Cal. Government Code - GOV 4.

in effect

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.90. Section 8878.90.

(a) The State Architect, with the consultation of the Seismic Safety Commission and the office, shall establish criteria for projects potentially eligible for an appropriation from the Legislature, pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 8878.55 based on factors including the populations at risk of injury and the cost-effectiveness of remedial actions. (b) The State Architect shall establish the criteria for potential funding pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 8878.55 based upon the following order of seismic hazard reduction priorities: (1) Abatement of falling hazards, as defined by the State Architect with the consultation of the Seismic Safety Commission, that are structural or nonstructural components of buildings or facilities and that pose serious threats to life, including, but not limited to, parapets, appendages, cornices, hanging objects, and building cladding. (2) The seismic retrofitting of those buildings or facilities for which partial, localized, or phased seismic retrofits will significantly reduce collapse hazards with minimal disruption to either the operation of the buildings or facilities or disruption of the occupants of the buildings or facilities. (3) All other buildings or facilities requiring seismic retrofitting.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.95. Section 8878.95.

Applications for funds for local government buildings under this article shall be made to the State Architect in the form and with the supporting material as prescribed by the State Architect.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.96. Section 8878.96.

Any appropriation of bond funds pursuant to this article may include provisions as agreed by the parties thereto, and the contract shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (a) An estimate of the reasonable cost of the project. (b) An agreement by the State Architect to grant to the local government, during the progress of construction or following completion of construction as agreed by the parties, an amount which equals no more than 75 percent of the portion of construction costs found by the State Architect to be eligible for a state grant. (c) An agreement by the local government to (1) proceed expeditiously with, and complete, the project, (2) commence operation of the project upon completion thereof, (3) properly operate and maintain the project in accordance with the applicable provisions of law, and (4) provide for payment of the local government’s share of the cost of the project. (d) At least 25 percent of the total cost for the seismic rehabilitation of the project, for the purposes specified in subdivision (b) of Section 8878.55, shall be paid by the local government.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.98. Section 8878.98.

Allocations are limited to only the seismic rehabilitation portion of the improvement project, as determined by the State Architect. To the extent that other elements of work are proposed, a cost-sharing formula shall be developed by the State Architect which will be applicable to planning and design costs for the total project. The retrofitting portion of any project shall, to the greatest extent possible, be conducted during the same general period of time that life safety hazards, including, but not limited to, asbestos-related hazards or fire and panic safety hazards, are abated, or when periodic renovation or maintenance of the essential services building is performed.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.99. Section 8878.99.

(a) Allocations made by the State Architect to local governments shall only be used to improve existing essential services buildings, as defined in Section 16007 of the Health and Safety Code, and emergency and public safety local buildings, including, but not limited to, county hospitals, courthouses, and city halls to resist earthquakes, and remain operational after a major earthquake. The allocations may be made with respect to all, or any part, of the building, but the allocations shall be used only for seismic retrofitting. (b) Improvements to essential services facilities of local governments shall be considered in the order prescribed by the State Architect, consistent with subdivision (b) of Section 8878.100. (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except for Section 8878.90, if a local government determines, and the State Architect concurs, that because of the age, material used in construction, potential for ground failure in an earthquake, or the type of construction or the design of the structure that it would be more cost-effective to replace or relocate rather than rehabilitate the potentially eligible essential services facility or emergency or public safety local building, an allocation of up to that amount determined to be necessary for the seismic retrofit of the original structure, but not to exceed the actual cost of replacement and relocation, may be applied to the construction of the replacement facility under the following conditions: (1) The essential services contained in the original facility shall be relocated to the replacement facility. (2) If a new facility is constructed, the original facility shall not be eligible for additional funding under this program. (3) If the original essential services facility or emergency or public safety local building is designated as an historic building as defined in Section 18955 of the Health and Safety Code, the State Architect shall consult with the Office of Historic Preservation before agreeing to any proposal to demolish the facility.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.100. Section 8878.100.

Funds shall be distributed by the State Architect in the following manner: (a) Upon receipt of an application by a local government for a grant pursuant to this article, the office or the State Architect may propose improvements to the project which will meet regional needs in a cost-effective manner. These improvements may include, but need not be limited to, structural strengthening, hardening of communication equipment, providing emergency power equipment, and other capital improvements which can be demonstrated as part of an emergency response plan which has a description of the critical facilities needed to support emergency response. The office, the State Architect, and the applicant may agree to include these capital improvements in the grant. (b) In coordination with the Seismic Safety Commission and the office, and with the input of the potentially eligible local governments, the State Architect, consistent with Section 8878.90, shall establish a priority list of the types of potentially eligible local government buildings and facilities which are eligible to receive a state grant pursuant to this article. (c) After completion of the priority list, the State Architect shall present this list of potentially eligible local government buildings and facilities to the Department of Finance for its review and consideration of whether to recommend to the Governor to include this list in the Budget Bill or other legislative proposal. The Legislature may review and appropriate funds available under this bond act for specific projects on the list which it deems appropriate. (d) The State Architect shall allocate funds to local governments for the seismic retrofit of buildings or facilities based upon projects and appropriations approved in the Budget Bill or some other bill by the Legislature as provided in this section. Payments shall be made on a progress basis.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.101. Section 8878.101.

(a) An application for an allocation pursuant to this article shall not be recommended for approval by the State Architect unless the project meets the minimum seismic safety standards as established by the State Architect. Preliminary design work, including preliminary plans and a detailed cost estimate for the project shall be completed and submitted with the application. (b) Any proposal for a project addressing more than seismic retrofit shall include a certification by the project architect or consulting engineer of the portion of the cost required for the eligible seismic improvements. (c) If the project involves an essential services building, no allocation of funds may be made unless the State Architect finds that the project or the project plan is consistent with the Essential Services Building Seismic Safety Act of 1986 (Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 16000) of Division 12.5 of the Health and Safety Code).

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.102. Section 8878.102.

For a local government to be eligible for funding, the local government must have complied with Chapter 12.2 (commencing with Section 8875) and also have an emergency plan approved by the office as being consistent with the state planning guidelines and the State Emergency Plan and the most recent catastrophic emergency response plan. The local government shall also have a priority list that identifies those facilities which are not expected to be operational after a major earthquake and which are critical to carrying out the emergency plan.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.103. Section 8878.103.

First priority for allocations of funds shall be given to projects located in seismic hazard zone 4, as defined and illustrated in Chapter 23 (commencing with Section 2301) of Part 2 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, and projects located in San Diego and Sacramento Counties. The office shall certify that the local government projects are needed for emergency response to a major earthquake.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.104. Section 8878.104.

Operation and maintenance costs shall be the responsibility of the grantee and may not be considered as part of the project cost. Costs for planning preliminary engineering studies, including preliminary plans, may be reimbursed following the receipt of an allocation of funds, subject to approval by the State Architect.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.105. Section 8878.105.

Funds allocated pursuant to this article shall be available for expenditure by the local government within three years of the awarding of the allocation.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.106. Section 8878.106.

(a) The office and the State Architect, after public notice and hearing and with the concurrence of the Seismic Safety Commission, shall establish guidelines necessary to carry out the purposes of this article. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, criteria and procedures for establishing the eligibility of the applicant, but shall not constitute rules, regulations, orders, or standards of general application. (b) The office and the State Architect, with the concurrence of the Seismic Safety Commission, shall establish guidelines that will carry out this article and provide an adequate emergency response capability after a major earthquake. The guidelines may provide for the denial of funds when the purposes of this article may most economically and efficiently be attained by means other than the construction of the proposed project. (c) The office and the State Architect, with the concurrence of the Seismic Safety Commission, may subsequently revise the guidelines as necessary to implement provisions of this chapter for any other reason to carry out the purposes of this article. (d) Guidelines established pursuant to the provisions of this section shall not constitute rules, regulations, orders, or standards of general application.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8878.107. Section 8878.107.

The office shall notify local governments that may be eligible for grants pursuant to this article of the following: (a) The purposes of this article. (b) The guidelines established by the office and the State Architect.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026